Ravenous
by Sixth Limb of Sephiroth
Summary: Postgame. People are vanishing: whisked from their homes, spirited from the streets, danced right out of the arms of their loved ones. The guilds and the Empire stir with unease. In the aftermath of a certain night, Raven might have an idea as to the culprit that he's a little reluctant to admit.
1. Chapter 1

_Ravenous_

_People are quietly vanishing, whisked from their homes, spirited from the streets, danced right out of the arms of loved ones. The guilds and the Empire stir with unease. In the aftermath of a certain night, Raven might have an idea as to the cause and culprit. But he's torn and a little scared. He might have to pay the ultimate price whether he's truthful or not._

* * *

**Disclaimer**: All rights reserved to Namco Bandai Games and Namco Tales Studio, because they made and published the game. I claim nothing other than original characters, original locations, original premise, etc., basically all the original shit, used herein this fanfiction.

**Warning**: Certain things. Eventual things.

**Characters**: Everybody still living post-game, plus an OC and an assortment of minor/background characters, so on and so forth. Raven's at the fore, however. Hence the title.

**Pairings**: None, really. Or... you never know. If anything, I may toy with notions.

**Annnnd the Author's Note**: Here I am. How many years has it been since I posted something seriously? Or semi-seriously? Or, even a fraction of serious... Quite a few, or quite a while, I should say. So, here's my attempt at trying to climb out of the rut I've been in all this time, and may forever return to should the need arise. Here's an attempt at something remotely worthwhile. Maybe. Yes. I've got nothing to lose, everything to gain, although I know I couldn't compete with all the yaois and the delicious smuttles and the general... shipping of things. Heck, fandom in general. Still... I thank any and all in advance for... whatever you shall do in the time that follows my submission. Stay frosty.

Building off of _Caveat_. Here I goooooo~~

* * *

_o_O_o_

It didn't take long for Raven to realize one thing.

"My knife!"

He swore under a quick, broken breath and patted every inch of his body for the usually ever-present oblong that was his trusty tanto. Why now would it choose to leave his side when he needed it most? Did he drop it somewhere back at Union headquarters? Or... there, at the Crimson Star?

Forget the Crimson Star, he thought in finality. It'd be a long time coming before he stepped foot in there again. Not after what had happened, no. His body still felt so... unclean. No amount of scrubbing or other… abrasive cleaning methods would suffice. At best and worst, only time would tell. Instead, once he finished his booze, Raven would make the trek to headquarters once more, a fist clutched tight against his chest, unsure whether the pulsing of the crystal heart resting there was still a blessing or a curse.

"Wait. I think I can take one more drink... I can still see straight; gotta remedy that."

Raven reeled to his feet within the Don's old office at the Sagittarius, now Harry's— though the boy hadn't taken getting used to it just yet, hence the feathering of dust on the desktop, the barrenness of personal effects. He dragged himself to the doorway and signaled one of the waitresses to him. "One more" was all he managed to croak before returning to stretch himself out on the rich red plush of the settee against the wall. Apart from the creak of wood beneath his weight, Raven made no other sound, barely even a whisper of breath.

Here he was, steeped in some sort of colorless void, his trusted companion of years and years, gone, and some wayward menace threatening the tattered fabric of his world. Raven had hoped to various unnamed spirits and gods that it wasn't in Dahngrest anymore. Even so, if its words were true, he wasn't safe anywhere in Terca Lumireis.

He wasn't safe at all.

* * *

_o0o_

* * *

The stars shone brightly upon the sleepy rooftops of the capital of Zaphias, further brightened by the spirit-lit lamps that lined the streets, and the struggling rings of the makeshift barrier as it patterned blue-white aureoles in the bruise-colored night sky. As the week's usual hustle and bustle drew to a close, a lazing few mingled on the marbled cobblestones of the Upper Quarter, enjoying the crisp, cool air blowing inland from the tides. It neared midnight, but for some, the fetes were just beginning.

At the gates to Zaphias Castle, a quarter troop stood guard, several off to the side cavorting with young noble ladies. They chitchatted and flirted while the others could only scoff or ignore all but their sworn duties. Most of these were reformed from the Cumore Brigade long disbanded, and with more than enough catching up to do. If they wanted to maintain a place in the rich bosom of their motherland, there was little room to err, and likely even treason on their heels if they dared any step further out of line.

"Why not come away, dear sir? Just for a while. Can we be alone to better get acquainted with each the other?"

Of the noble lot, a wispy little blonde trimmed in gold and green appeared the bravest of them all. Her eyes seemed to glow with intent beneath the moonlight and her chosen quarry couldn't help getting lost in those glinting discs peering up at him.

"I really shouldn't," replied the guard, lifting his visor to half-mast. "If any of the higher ups saw my post empty, or even caught wind of it from someone else, they'd have my head. I'm already under strict probation..."

"Oh, but please," the young woman said, latching onto his hand and pulling it to her hip. "Just for a moment. No one will ever know you were gone..."

"For the love of... Just go so she can quit begging, it's getting annoying, all of them," barked one of the other guards.

"How rude," the girls grumbled.

"Well, if you... insist..."

"Do not wait up," said the blonde to her company, all the while pulling on her chosen one's arm. Together they skittered down the street curving east by northeast, pausing beneath an arch when the guard was about to drop his spear. She danced circles around him as if she were a pixie and less the noble she sported with the others.

They neared the city limits, where the cobbled street started fading to earth. The noblewoman stopped the guard at the foot of a lone streetlamp that flickered madly upon their presence then dimmed to a dull, fluorescent yellow. She wrapped her arms tight around his spear-wielding arm and pressed close, nuzzling him like a pet craving attention.

"Oh, it has been ever so long since I have experienced such nearness to a man," she whispered. "To be so near a, shall I say manly, sir as yourself. Mmm, yes..."

"Well..."

"Have you been claimed?"

"Huh?" The guard stood dazed for a moment, his expression veiled by the shade of his helm. With a nervous chuckle, he replied, "Clai— Ah, uh, not since I've been mixed up in some trouble a while back. Rich girls like yourself usually have their sights set a little higher than a grunt Knight like me. Lower Quarter wenches appreciate us even less. I used to be... better than this. Now? All I've been doing is working to pay off my bad stock and regain my honor."

"Is that so? What an interesting story you have woven about yourself. You are not even lonely?"

"Well, of course I get lonely, I—"

"I will let you in on a secret. Here." The girl grabbed hold of the guard's helmet, lifted it up, forward and off of his head. She touched a gloved hand to his cheek, which forced a weak quiver out of him from the knees up. At last the noble rose upon her tiptoes to put her lips to his ear. "I am lonely, too."

The guard quivered again at the sensation of something warm and moist purse against the side of his face. He fought the urge to giggle like a schoolgirl, assuming that it could only have been this girl taking initiative to further establish some intimacy. The wetness even managed to push its way past his cloth hood and curl into the shell of his ear.

"Ohhh man... Wait…"

"Be mine," the girl hissed. "Come with me."

"B, but I—"

"_No _buts."

"Ho-ohhhh..."

* * *

With the slow rise of morning, the streetlamps dimmed and cooled to nothing. The evening spirits flitted off to rest, abandoning the old blastia shells to glare down eyelessly upon the cobblestone. With their departure came the change of the guard. The night shift reported to the courtyard for roll call and debriefing, so that they may finally retire for the day.

"Hey, where's the other guy?"

"Other guy? Oh, you mean Jules? He never came back, did he?"

"Maybe he ran off with that girl. This isn't going to look good to the captain, or even the Commandant. He was in deep shit as it was for being part of the Cumore fiasco."

"Somebody's going to get court-martialed."


	2. Chapter 2

_o_O_o_

"Alright, summit adjourned. For any individual audiences, you know where to find me— at the Sagittarius. Uh… I'll _try _to be at the Sagittarius."

The Union leaders, or what currently remained of them, each rose from their embroidered placemats along the wall and bowed in Harry's direction before toddling off to other business, taking their cloud of palpable unease and concerned mutterings with them. Karol had been last to rise, still fumbling with a sheaf of papers half in-half out of his king-sized tote bag. Yuri leaned over from nearby and jabbed the boy in the back with the tip of his scabbard. He'd squeaked, nearly dropping everything at his knees.

"Ready to go, Captain?" Yuri asked.

"J-just a sec. I gotta... I gotta arrange things a little bit."

"Hey, Yuri, Karol," Harry called down the length of the hall. "Uh, t... thanks for coming in. But don't leave yet, I have something I need to ask you guys."

Repede quirked an ear and lifted his head to Harry's voice as he got nearer. With a yawn, the dog sat up on his haunches then rose on all fours in a lazy lurch out the open doorway. Yuri blinked at his longtime buddy, then smirked and shrugged.

Harry came to stand at Karol's humble, little doormat for an official substitute, rubbing at the red mark across the bridge of his nose. He looked askance before mustering up the courage to speak. "So, uh, I know Raven moonlights with Brave Vesperia, so he's pretty chummy with you guys."

"Yeah, he is," Karol said, slapping his bag closed. "Did you need him for something? But he's always here, anyway, isn't he?"

"Well, it's not quite that," Harry fumbled to say, now scratching at the back of his neck. "He's been acting pretty weird lately, distant, which is why he wasn't here for the meeting. Last I checked, he's been holing himself up downstairs. I... don't know how to approach him. I'm not good at that kind of thing, not like my grandfather was. So I thought maybe you guys... could."

Yuri and Karol exchanged a curious look. They both knew it wasn't like Raven to detach himself so plainly from others around him, not without having dropped a few hints first. Harry seemed pretty clueless about his situation by the look on his face, so it must have been something both sudden and potentially devastating that decided the old man should forgo all company and skulk underground like a tortured beast. Yuri sighed tiredly and crossed his arms at the thought. Could the old man have regressed to his "I'm a dead man walking" mentality? Honestly, he found it annoying and counterproductive to his line of work. And, really, it just didn't suit the old man. Not anymore.

"Welp, c'mon, Karol, let's go see what's got Raven down in the dumps," the swordsman announced, pushing himself from the wall. "We'll fill you in later, Harry. Excuse me, Don Harry."

* * *

By the time Yuri and Karol made it down to the dungeon, Repede had risen to a sterling vigil in front of Raven's home away from home. The blue beast had his muzzle nestled between the bars, beating his pipe against the crude wrought iron, probably in an effort to rouse within the purple lump bundled up on the solitary cot. Raven grumbled and stirred in the dingy darkness, weakly kicking his feet out like a cranky child pulled too early from slumber.

"Is that any way to treat a friend, old man?" Yuri's voice echoed. "Repede's saying hello. Why don't you grace him with a salutation or two?"

A single grunt was his only reply.

Karol stood next to Repede, gripping the bars. "Aw, Raven, what's the matter? I've never seen you this down in a while. Did something happen?"

"Leave me be, you guys..."

"Well, that settles it. We're coming in." The swordsman drew the kid aside, pushed his scabbard through the bars and lifted the key off a small hook on the wall a foot or so out of reach of those looking in. Yuri had lifted the keys carefully, but easily enough, and looped the ring nonchalantly over a finger. He turned the lock and swung the gate out, inviting himself to take an obnoxiously bouncy seat at Raven's feet, eschewing repeated groans from the man. "See that? Everything's better with company. Now, what's gotten the Great Raven... not so great?"

"Who told ya to come down here..."

"Harry dropped a hint but we came the rest of the way. Now spill it."

Raven let out a long sigh, emptying his body of all breath, then with the inhalation that followed he sat up to face the wall. He wondered about the time, how long he'd been laying there. It felt as if someone had slathered his face and hands in a thick, greasy soup. His lips and eyelids were heavy and dry. The dim atmosphere swam with colorful shapes radiating from tiny stars in the air. Why this little psychedelic vision turned out to be decidedly more interesting than answering Yuri, he wasn't sure.

But, if he didn't answer, Yuri would likely find it suitable to resort to more heavy-handed measures in order to loosen his lips. And his hands were like lead, to say nothing of his scathing tongue.

"I... I just... I dunno what happened," he confessed into the palm cupped over his mouth. "Things, things went down… and uh… Uh..."

"And?"

"There's uh… somethin' out there. Somethin' that has it in for me, I think..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Karol blurted out, his voice echoing sharply off the dungeon walls.

"Eh, how do I say it... Somebody's a little privy about my heart."

"Okay, so somebody knows about your heart," Yuri repeated. "And the problem is...?"

"Somebody _knows _about my _heart_. Fellas. That was never public info, I hope y'know. Actually..." Raven paused and gripped at his chest. "Actually, they knew about a lot o' stuff that ain't necessarily public info. An' I don't think they're gonna put it to good use, kid. Not one bit."

"Oh, so this's what's got you down in the dumps? Who is this person? How'd you meet them?"

Raven cringed and pulled the soles of his feet flat together. He dreaded recounting the meeting that conjured up these excruciating knots of feeling between his ribs. Above all, embarrassment reigned. It was a veritable lump in his throat that he truly wished would have strangled all words, thought, and breath out of him, at least until it all blew over. He still couldn't get that soft, yet cold and clammy sensation out of his skin where it had— where he...

"I was, er, I was at the bar," Raven fumbled. "I heard some, uh, some whispers. I dunno the face. But they came an' went. No idear if they'll come back, but I'd keep an eye out. Yeah, keep an eye..."

"Wait, how do we keep an eye out if we don't know anything about them?" Karol asked.

"Yeah, Raven, you can still tell us what they looked like even if you didn't know them, right?"

"Well, uh... They were white, uh, pretty white. All over. Rich an' white."

"That's helpful," Yuri remarked flatly.

"I'm being, I'm being honest here, fellas. Rich, white an' gold, like, like a noble. F, fancy, real fancy like."

"Man, woman?"

"Wo—" Raven bit his tongue. That morbid uncertainty came flooding back. That wasn't a woman. But it wasn't a man either. What did it call itself again? It called itself one of the ancient ones. An Entelexeia. But was it even telling the truth? It knew things of which very few still living had even a hunch, but at the same time, would an Entelexeia be so flippant about running around in plain sight? Even leagues more flippant than the one it called its sister, Khroma? At least, as the late Alexei's personal aide, she had been well guarded; even Schwann didn't suspect her as anything else but a tightlipped Krityan who made rare appearances and ran maintenance behind the scenes. Raven just couldn't be sure. "Er... Well, it was... I wasn't... sure. I'm not sure."

"You're unusually flustered... and sheepish, even a little suspicious, old man," Yuri noted, quirking an eyebrow. "What kind of encounter _was _this?"

"Knowing Raven, he was probably out trolling for girls and picked up the wrong one," Karol added, shaking his head. "A really wrong one."

A rush of ice spiked through Raven's veins. They couldn't have been closer to the truth, but he'd be damned if he was going to confirm their little supposition.

"Look, I really dunno what happened, I jus'... I got a bad feeling. I mean, y'know, it hasn't been that long since I... kinda vowed to start a new life an' everything, a _real _new life, and ta think that somebody might know about the killswitch of a long distance sort, mind you, an'..."

"Wait, what?"

"Well, that might be a little tough ta explain..."

"Huh? Wait a second, what's a killswitch? Why's your heart got a killswitch? What kinda creep gives a heart a killswitch?"

Raven glared wearily at Karol from over his shoulder.

"Oh right..."

"Well, thanks for letting us know what little you wanted us to know. If you're so worried that it's as serious as you think it might be, we'll watch out for this 'white' noble," Yuri assured, rising from his seat at the foot of the cot, exhaling loudly. "But hey, think you can come out of your hole now? Guilds don't run themselves. You ARE still the Don's right hand."

"Maybe yer right... Say... There was a meeting, right? What was it about, what'd I miss?"

"Oh, a couple of the Union leaders just reported missing persons in some of their foreign offices. Or was it AWOL? Either way, there's some tension going around. Heard that even the Soul Smiths are missing one among their ranks, which is pretty impressive, considering they're on the verge of mythical status."

"Really..."

"Really. Anyways, it's a funny coincidence because I've been hearing about weird things in Zaphias, too. I hope Hanks and Ted and everyone else in the Lower Quarter are doing okay..."

"I wouldn't worry about it too hard. I mean, Flynn's on the job, too," Karol tossed in.

The swordsman shrugged. Flynn. Of course. Ever faithful champion of the Empire.

"Yeah, well, I hope we're done here. We got some errands to take care of, don't we, Captain? And Raven, Harry's at the Sagittarius. He might or might not require your assistance on a couple matters."

"Right. Uh, thanks, kid..."

Yuri, Karol and Repede excused themselves from Raven's cell thus, their footfalls and chatter echoing off the walls in their wake. The slam of the dungeon doors marked their departure, and everything was quiet again. With that, he sighed and rolled onto his back and draped his sleeve over his face. True, Raven had a job to tend to, but apprehension still coiled around him. It didn't feel right to stow away underground like a cowardly rat, nor did it sit well to ignore his duties. But what about that thing? Would simply hiding really keep him safe? Such conflict hadn't persisted since Schwann fell to Alexei's debt.

There was only one way to find out. But would he risk stretching his neck like that? It wouldn't just be his life in danger, but others as well if that... thing was as serious as it claimed to be behind that veil of devil-may-care.

What a pickle he found himself in now.

* * *

On the way to the Sagittarius, Raven couldn't count how many times his fingers went to clutch the air where his knife should have been. From his forehead to his chin, he slapped and wiped his face of the more visible stress that lingered there. Just where was that knife?

As he rounded the corner into the main city square, he ventured a glance in the direction of the Crimson Star. A clammy chill washed down Raven's spine right after. There was no way that that... thing would still be there. Of course not. For all he knew it could be hundreds or thousands of miles away, doing whatever dastardly deed it had in store for the unsuspecting sap at large. For now, he should have been safe. If anymore monsters running around as men or women wanted to come after him, they'd have done so as soon as he stepped foot outside Union Headquarters, or even before. And maybe if he was feeling brave enough, Raven would return to the scene of the crime in hopes of retrieving his knife.

If Casey ever found out, she would have killed him, or at the very least, smacked him in the back of the head and started saving money for a replacement while also suggesting he did the same.

But, first things first. Harry needed attending.

The Sagittarius thrummed with the usual business. Waiting at the hallway which led to the Don's office was a small throng of guildsmen, among them Yuri and Karol, filing in to huddle around the desk as they pitched concerns to a nonplussed Harry. Raven stood back for a moment, to watch how the young man would handle things.

"We needs search parties!"

"Strike while the iron's hot!"

"Strike what? You ain't got a clue as to the culprit. Search, _then _destroy, genius."

"It's gotta be the Empire. What's a treaty to them if it don't bends in their favor?"

Raven fought back a scoff.

"Don, I knows we talked about this before, but what it's gonna be?"

Harry, who'd been standing behind his chair the entire time, turned towards the guildsmen and folded his arms. His eyes suddenly lit up when they spotted Raven lingering just barely out of sight. Then he leered as if to hide that sudden and obvious wash of relief.

"Well," he began, "we're gonna have to look into the usual suspects before we do anything drastic, right—"

"Ain't nobodies got time for that—"

"Hey," Yuri piped up. "Who's the Don here, him or you? I don't know if you've noticed, but you guys? You got that nasty habit of leaping before you think. There's a time and a place for everything."

"Yeah, you guys," Karol began, "you're gonna waste energy and resources if you just rush in without a plan, or even a clue. I thought we were trying to do better than that."

"I'm gonna put my stock in what Don Harry's gotta say," Raven said. "He's been showin' some merit lately. Might actually make some sound decisions today. But one can only hope."

"Raven..." The blond dropped his arms down at his side, struggling not to gape. He gulped hard then cleared his throat. "Well. Again, we need to rule out the usual suspects. Ask around the other guilds, meet with the Knights and the council embassy, see what they know. Get leads, any leads. And when we've got enough intel, then we can start arranging... parties, to... you know, get to the bottom of this."

A hush fell over the guildsmen, followed by thoughtful grumbling and shuffling amongst themselves. These men, mostly warriors, weren't used to carefully laid out plans of their own designs. They preferred action, they itched for it, and needed only one man to say the word.

"Don Harry's right," Karol called out. "In times of a mystery, we gotta put our heads together before we find the culprit so we can make him pay."

At first the guildsmen muttered in hesitance, which then crescendoed into more or less unanimous agreement. They huddled closer around Harry's desk, pitching and piling on suggestions and concerns. The young don seemed to tense up at first, but eventually eased into the throng. Harry raised a hand to garner attention then pointed towards the doorway. Raven jerked slightly, as if the gesture were meant for him. That was, until the boy spoke.

"Raven, considering your connections, I think you should deal with the Imperial embassy."

"Oh? Right, right..." He rubbed at the back of his neck and pushed himself from the threshold of the Don's office. A part of him was hoping he didn't have to join the effort today. Raven yearned to return to his cell and sleep, wallow, lament. Hide. But now wasn't the time, his mental state be damned. Something fishy was going on among the guilds and they had work to do.

Raven's hand went for his knife and gripped air once again. His body went slack. How did he plan on making it through the day, and the days to follow, without one of the few things that sustained him?

"Hope, maybe? Somehow..."


End file.
